Aden- Under the threat of weapons and using the names of dead parliament members, Houthi insurgents loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh continued yesterday to challenge the international community by trying to legitimate their coup through controlling legislative institutions.

Houthis held yesterday a parliament session in the absence of most of its 301 members, including members representing the General People’s Congress party, headed by ousted President Saleh.

Sources in Sana’a told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that less than 90 deputies had attended the session.

The sources said threats were exerted on the majority of members who had participated in yesterday’s session, as some representatives were forced by weapons to head to the Parliament from their homes.

Meanwhile, Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi called the parliament session illegal and unconstitutional and warned that MPs attending could be prosecuted as criminals.

Hadi had sent a letter to Speaker of the Parliament Yahya al-Raie saying that Parliament cannot convene or discuss any article unless it receives an invitation from the Yemeni President or the agreement of the four members of its presidency council.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Shura Council Othman Majli told Asharq Al-Awsat: “The Parliament has been almost disabled since the signing of the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative, when Parliament became a based on consensus and not majority.|”

Yemeni minister of legal affairs Nihal al-Awlaki told Asharq Al-Awsat that yesterday’s session is considered illegal because it was held outside the framework of the GCC initiative and its executive apparatus, which now replace the country’s legal and constitutional bodies.

“This session was held by Houthi rebels and Saleh’s militias in an attempt to recuperate their lost legitimacy, particularly after they failed to do so during the Kuwait peace talks,” Awlaki said.

She said the political council formed by the insurgents at the beginning of August “has no constitutional authorization.”

During yesterday’s Parliament session, described as unconstitutional and illegal, Houthis and deputies loyal to them have ratified the so-called Yemeni administered Supreme Political Council, which the insurgents had formed a week ago and was the main reason behind the failure of U.N.-brokered peace talks held in Kuwait to end the war between Houthis and the government of Hadi.

Meanwhile, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Arab Coalition aircraft had attacked a center for training an insurgent militia known as the “Houda” in the province of Saada, killing several Houthi leaders, including Yehya Mansour Abu Rabouah, head of the training department.
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Meanwhile, the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces have intercepted a Scud missile launched from Yemeni territories in the direction of Khamis Mushayt, without causing any damage. The coalition air forces immediately initiated to destroy the missile-launching platform, which was located between Amran and Saada provinces.